One tip, and not the least, that will allow you to provide yourself with cheap office supplies or office furniture: choose the right supplier. Crucial before making your choice, it is not a question of providing you with the one who offers you the best prices or who promises you a significant discount.
Indeed, beyond these well-established sales arguments, good reputation and value for money, it is for you, as a buyer to study and consider certain points, especially at the level of the quality of the service itself.
The particular Case
This is particularly the case with sales conditions such as after-sales service. Here you have to consider the responsiveness of your supplier in the event of a problem as well as the nature of the guarantees offered. Beware of certain brands that offer telephone assistance with surcharged call costs. With the best upholstery supplies this is important.
- In terms of customer support, see if the supplier provides assistance with the assembly of office furniture, for example. This part can quickly become a real headache for your technicians, especially if the assembly instructions are not precise and easy to follow.
- Otherwise, regarding the delivery conditions, choose the supplier who can deliver in a time that suits you and that you will consider reasonable (generally within 72 hours of the sale, especially for office supplies).
- Do not forget the return conditions, because it is essential to choose the one who accepts the replacement free of charge of office furniture in case of non-compliance.
Then, see also the range of products, choose the one that has a fairly wide range, because it would be interesting for you to choose a supplier selling both office supplies, but also office furniture, in order to avoid having to deal with several suppliers, saving time in perspective for your logistics manager!
Finally, the conditions and methods of payment, which must correspond to your own constraints. Thus, choose the supplier who will allow you, for example, to pay in several installments without additional costs being included in the initial price and which accepts different types of payment methods.
Buy in bulk
Another tip to take advantage of the best prices, especially for cheap office supplies: grouping purchases . When the volume of the order is large, prices can be negotiated and the supplier will be more inclined to offer discounts and rebates on the final invoice.
So start by making a list of your needs over a greater or lesser period – over a semester instead of a quarter, for example. You can thus have a global vision of your needs and can better choose the provider who will be able to provide you with the best services.
- Here, providers whose product ranges are wide are undoubtedly the most interesting, because this will allow you to buy from a single brand. Remember that “the higher the volumes, the more the prices can fall”.
- Regularity of orders is also a way to take advantage of these group purchases. A supplier may grant you better prices, which will have nothing to do with the prices displayed, if he knows that collaboration can be established over the long term and in stable quantities.
In some cases, it may even happen that several companies combine their orders. These practices thus make it possible to profit from very advantageous prices by buying in bulk.
